The Control of Cam Young
The dichotomy of control is an ancient thinking. In today’s social media fuelled world there are many accounts purporting to be experts in the mental game; just a few prompts in their AI machine of choice and it does all the work for them. Quotes from Marcus Aurelius on a pretty background are all well and good, but there is more to this in the real world. Meeting with an athlete face to face over a period of time, getting to know them so deeply that you understand their thinking style, and applying methods through your discussions that deliver real, lasting improvements to their life - that is where the real test lies. There is no standard approach - some players will respond to things that others do not, and methods will have to vary. One person who has found a formula that works won the Cadillac Championship last week, and what a difference we are seeing.
Cameron Young cruised to victory at what seemed, to me at least, to be a slightly dull tournament. The PGA Tour just cannot seem to nail their schedule, and they definitely cannot nail the coverage. Watching in the UK I am desperately hoping that Sky consign their collaboration with Golf Channel to the annals of history, because their commentators pull the standard down to a laughable standard. No humour, too forced, zero analysis. It is lucky that Rich Beem, Laura Davies and Andrew Coltart are there to offer a little insight, or it would be quite unwatchable. In terms of the schedule, having two consecutive signature events before a major seems ridiculous for quite a few reasons, not least the fact that the players who pull the most viewers are highly unlikely to play both. So let’s pivot - instead of a tournament review, let’s just take the winner and scrutinise his mental improvements over the last two years.
There is no doubt that the social media folk are correct to post endless stoic quotes, because this branch of philosophy is definitely relevant to mental performance. What Cam Young has done, and what these accounts largely fail to do, is acknowledge that applying this thinking to one’s own golf game is hard to do - in the same way that I could just tell you to carry your 4 iron 210 yards over water off a tight lie. Easy to say, but being able to do so is the product of a lot of hard work. So, how do we apply this thinking to our own game? Let’s discuss.
Controllable: Mindset and Attitude
Your perspectives on golf. A mental performance coach will assess how much your performance affects you as a person. Does it affect your self-worth? Do you consider it to be a part of who you are? This can be destructive and can be worked on by splitting golf and the rest of your life apart - discussing it in sessions helps you truly separate what is ‘you’ and the things that you do. They will ask you to do preparatory exercises before a tournament, and reflections afterwards, specifying the feelings and emotions you experienced in certain situations and how they relate to your perspective. Figuring out the right attitude for you takes time - it is far more complex than just ‘changing your mindset’. Cameron Young talks a lot about having ‘process goals’ and avoiding outcome-orientated judgement of himself - this is part of controlling his attitude.
Controllable: Effort and Preparation
A good golf psychologist will help you analyse your effort and preparation in great detail. Not just whether you practice a lot, but whether you do the right kind of practice and how that differs depending on what you are preparing for. For example, how well do you practice being present? We all hit bad shots when we are working on technique, do you practice acceptance? Acceptance is a crucial part of elite golf. It requires practice, because just telling yourself not to get angry will not cut it. Young talks about giving himself ten seconds to inwardly vent - not visibly vent - before the focus shifts to the next shot. Practice this strictly and you will see benefits. There are many more examples of efficient practice, both technical and mental, but this one struck a chord because it is rare to hear a pro give that level of insight to the media.
Controllable: Behaviour and Routines
How well do you recognise what works for you outside of hitting balls? I’m talking about nutrition, sleep, other hobbies, people you spend your time with. A good golf psychologist will examine your routines around playing and practicing and find patterns for better or worse. If your goal is to play better and be happier, you will need to work out what common factors lead to good days on the golf course. For a recreational golfer, this could be as specific as when you practice - do you hit the ball well when you practice after work? Or better when you go home and decompress first? For a pro, it might be where they go for dinner, the people they are with, the surroundings at the range…there are many things. The science doesn’t lie, we all know proper sleep and a good diet will help. But your mind can trick you, and golf often tells us that it’s our swing that’s the problem when in actual fact a large improvement could be made just by amending your behaviours.
Controllable: Self-Talk
The hardest one by far for most golfers to change. Neuro-linguistic programming is something that your mental performance coach will use to improve your game, and the nature of your self-talk is exceptionally important. That’s a terrible shot, you say to yourself. Don’t hit it in the water. Don’t top/shank/duff it. Don’t, don’t, don’t. This is self-sabotage and we are all guilty of it. The brain learns and responds directly from language, and does not recognise ‘don’t’ in the way we mean it - the classic example is the pink elephant. What the brain prefers is ‘aim at the dark patch on the left edge of the fairway bunker’. It prefers ‘watch me get up and down from this bunker, I love these shots’ and ‘I can see this falling in on the right edge of the hole’. It isn’t something you’re going to get right all the time, but it’s something you can constantly work on. Think of it this way - are you ever going to have the perfect golf swing and never hit another bad shot? No - the same is true of your thoughts. They’re never going to be perfect, but you can strive to improve every time you hit balls.
Cameron Young has clearly been making some remarkable improvements in these areas since finishing runner-up at the 2022 Open Championship. His perpetual runner-up status is long gone now and he is a very real contender for major success this year. If anything, it is important to note what he has not talked about in his media appearances lately:
Outcomes and Results - Uncontrollable. You can get a bad break from a good shot, lip out putts, shoot your best round ever and lose. It is futile to let outcomes frustrate you.
Other People - Uncontrollable. Their opinions are none of your business. Their performance is out of your hands.
External Factors - Uncontrollable. The weather, traffic, what’s happened in the past, the golf course condition - it’s all just details. None of it is your concern. Adapt to these things, don’t complain or worry about them.
The Cadillac Championship might not have been a scintillating event, but we can all learn something from Cam Young. Not too long ago he was viewed as emotionless, dour, and a bit of a ball speed merchant with a poor short game at the highest level. How things change.
